- Author: Michael Hsu
New Cooperative Extension director has worked extensively with Native American communities, youth groups
Growing up in Upper Lake, along the “North Shore” of Clear Lake, Matthew Barnes lived near several of the Lake County region's seven federally recognized tribes. Although he counted several Native Americans among his diverse circle of childhood friends, and was very familiar with those communities, Barnes was nonetheless quite nervous when he was appointed in 2009 as the inaugural executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Pomo Nation.
Barnes – a non-Native of European and Filipino descent – vividly remembers the tribal administrator paying him a visit on one of his first days on the job. “He said, ‘Hey, you have two ears and one mouth, so listen twice as much as you speak and you'll be fine,'” Barnes recalled. “And that's definitely stuck with me.”
That approach is continuing to guide Barnes in his new role as University of California Cooperative Extension director for Lake and Mendocino counties. He will guide and support research, outreach and education activities to meet the area's agriculture, natural resources, and youth and community development needs.
Since starting in May, Barnes has been getting a crash course from UCCE advisors and staff on viticulture research, pest management practices, 4-H camps, and a host of other projects and programs – while also meeting with local communities on the region's most pressing challenges.
“What I've been doing – and will continue to do – is just to listen and learn, and when I can add value to a conversation or project, then I'll do that,” Barnes said. “But leadership to me starts with the relationships we build – with our staff and with the community.”
Bringing a range of experiences in youth programs, social services
One area in which Barnes will certainly add value is developing youth and community programs. During his time with Boys & Girls Club of the Pomo Nation, it was one of only three Boys & Girls Clubs established on tribal land in California. In that role, Barnes faced the unique challenge of integrating the Boys & Girls Club curriculum into a community for which it was not originally designed.
By adapting the curriculum to include culturally relevant topics, Barnes transformed the program into a model that eventually aided in the creation of a Native American-focused branch, Boys & Girls Clubs of America Native Services.
“This initiative now serves as a national standard for Boys & Girls Clubs on tribal lands,” Barnes said.
He later became a director of California Tribal TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), a direct cash assistance and supportive services program for Native American families in 17 counties across the state.
During his decade of TANF work, Barnes launched career development programs, alcohol and other drug counseling programs, and cultural revitalization initiatives. Some of the programs are still running and serving communities to this day.
“The trick is making those programs something that participants can see the value in,” Barnes explained. “And to do that, you go into the communities and talk to people and listen to what they need – instead of you telling them what they need.”
Barnes' experience partnering with Native American communities is just one of the many strengths he will bring to UCCE and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“We're very excited to have Matthew join the UC ANR family,” said Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, UC ANR's director of County Cooperative Extension. “His personal knowledge of Lake and Mendocino counties and his previous work with Indigenous populations will be a tremendous asset to extending and elevating our work.”
Immediately prior to joining UC ANR, Barnes served as director of Lake County's Upward Bound program, which helps students from three local high schools experience and prepare for higher education.
“Overall, what drives me personally is the opportunity to make an impact on communities, on youth, and on people in general through program development and management,” Barnes said.
Inspiring young people as a mentor
Barnes' passion for youth development – and the impetus for his bachelor's degree in social work from Cal Poly Humboldt – can be traced to his AmeriCorps experience while he was attending Mendocino College. For two years, he worked as a tutor for young people, in Lake County and then in Sonoma County, and saw firsthand the difference educators and mentors can make in their lives.
“You could say I kind of caught the bug – just seeing the light bulbs go on when you're helping a youth of that age,” Barnes said.
From there, Barnes took a position directing teen programs for the Boys and Girls Club of Healdsburg, where he began to fully appreciate the importance of trusted adults simply “being there” for young people as a listening ear for whatever they want to talk about.
Among the many teens Barnes worked with, “Rodrigo” was a middle schooler who was pegged by his school and community as someone who could “slip through the cracks.” Rodrigo was the last to go home at the end of each day, and Barnes would chat with him – answering his questions about life or just talking about a new rap album.
“I realized I was ‘that person' for him – that person outside his house, outside his school,” Barnes said.
Even after Barnes left the Boys and Girls Club, Rodrigo – bound for university – invited him to his high school graduation. Barnes said it is tremendously gratifying to know he had a “small role” in shaping the path for Rodrigo – and countless others.
“Their success is still theirs; it's not necessarily because of me,” Barnes added. “My job is to do what I can in the moment to hopefully plant some seeds that may sprout in the future.”
Settled in Middletown, not far from his hometown, where he and his wife are raising two children, Barnes is now positioned to help nurture a flourishing Lake County and resilient Mendocino County.
“I feel like my past experiences, both in life and my career, have prepared me for this,” Barnes said.
- Author: Pamela S Kan-Rice
Coyne named Master Gardener assistant director of volunteer and community engagement 
Marisa Coyne returned to the statewide Master Gardener Program office on May 22 as the assistant director of volunteer and community engagement. She was an instrumental member of the Master Gardener Program team from 2019 to 2021.
Coyne will be building out her team by recruiting two regional operations coordinators, one for Southern California and one for Northern California.
Originally from Philadelphia, Coyne earned a master's degree in community development from UC Davis and a bachelor's degree in communications from Temple University. Her graduate work at UC Davis focused on issues of equity in sustainable agriculture education.
Coyne is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at macoyne@ucanr.edu.
Rosenberg joins UCCE as regenerative agriculture farm advisor 
Sara Rosenberg joined UCCE on May 1 as a regenerative agriculture farm advisor for Mariposa, Merced and Stanislaus counties.
Her disciplinary focuses are agroecology, sustainable nutrient management, and extension research and methodology. Her past research centers on understanding the implications of diversification (with a focus on crop rotations and cover crops) for California rice systems. For her master's program thesis, she conducted a countywide assessment to learn from rice growers about their experiences with crop rotations and understand barriers to adoption, opportunities, and required resources for successful implementation. This two-year study engaged grower communities to help develop research goals for her Ph.D. studies.
Her doctoral research explored how different summer crop rotations affect multiple sustainability factors including soil health, crop yields, weeds, input use and economics. She also assessed different cover crop species performance in rice environments and their carbon and nitrogen contributions.
She earned a master's in international agriculture development and a Ph.D. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis.
Prior to working on her Ph.D., Rosenberg was an agriculture advisor in the Peace Corps for more than three years. She worked closely with smallholder farmers in West Africa, implementing conservation agriculture programs and increasing agricultural resilience in both annual crops and tree crops, mainly in the cashew forestry sector. In California, she has worked on farms for more than eight years, including running her own small, diversified farm in Woodland.
She is passionate about community-led development and using participatory research as a powerful tool for developing sustainable solutions. Her aim is to develop collaborative programming that will support a wide range of farm types, including commercial and small-scale, organic and conventional, annual crops, tree and vine crops, and livestock production systems.
She is developing a robust research program aimed at assessing farm sustainability impact across ecological, agronomic, social and economic factors. She will be collaborating with farmers to help overcome barriers to adopting regenerative practices and build their capacity to advance sustainability goals. Rosenberg also will be developing and promoting tested integrative management practices that increase climate resilience and ecosystem sustainability across diverse farming environments.
Rosenberg is based in Mariposa and can be reached at srosenberg@ucanr.edu and (209) 966-2417 ext. 1417.
Pedroncelli named interim South Coast REC director 
Lindsey Pedroncelli started her new role as interim director of South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine on May 1.
Pedroncelli, former staff research associate for UC Cooperative Extension in San Diego County, will serve as the liaison between South Coast REC and the community. Her primary responsibility is maintaining or expanding current partnerships and identifying new opportunities for academic and programmatic collaboration. Additionally, she is responsible for securing funding, supervising education specialists and communicating the significance of the REC.
Pedroncelli first learned about UC ANR during graduate school at UC Riverside where she worked with Alexander Putman, UC Cooperative Extension plant pathology specialist. As a Ph.D. student, Pedroncelli studied a fungus (Macrophomina phaseolina) that kills strawberry plants and conducted research at the South Coast REC.
“California grows 90% of the nation's strawberries,” said Pedroncelli. “The fungus I was researching is economically important and since it is a somewhat new disease on strawberries, there isn't a lot of information on how to manage it.” She was particularly interested in how soil moisture can be applied as a management strategy.
Before earning a Ph.D. in plant pathology from UC Riverside, Pedroncelli completed her undergraduate degree in microbiology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
In September 2022, Pedroncelli joined the UCCE office in San Diego County as a staff research associate and helped establish a small-scale urban agriculture demonstration site at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad. A collaboration with Eric Middleton, integrated pest management advisor for San Diego County, the project is designed to investigate the economic feasibility of growing specialty crops in urban areas.
“Orange County has become so urban, and it used to be an ag hot spot. I don't want people to forget that,” said Pedroncelli, who emphasized the importance of expanding the REC's educational programs and spreading awareness of its community impact.
Pedroncelli can be reached at lrpedroncelli@ucanr.edu and her Instagram handle is @theplantpathologist.
Barnes joins UCCE as director for Lake and Mendocino counties 
Matthew Barnes joined UC ANR on May 1 as the UCCE area director for Lake and Mendocino counties. Dedicated to enhancing UCCE's outreach and research initiatives, he focuses on sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship across both counties. Barnes brings over 20 years of experience in developing programs tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities of rural communities.
Prior to joining UC ANR, he created best-practice client service programs and led organizational development projects throughout Northern California. Most recently, Barnes served as the Lake County director for Sonoma State University's Pre-Collegiate Programs.
Having spent most of his life in Lake County, where he now raises his two children, ages 5 and 14, Barnes is deeply connected to the community he serves.
He earned his bachelor's degree in social work from Cal Poly Humboldt, which propelled him into a career as a human services administrator specializing in the revitalization of underserved and Indigenous communities.
Barnes is based in Lakeport and can be reached at mgrbarnes@ucanr.edu. Connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/intentional-leader/.
Sangha joins UCCE as community water systems advisor 
Laljeet Sangha joined UCCE on May 1 as a community water systems advisor for Kern, Tulare and Kings counties.
To enhance community resilience, Sangha will lead an integrated extension education and applied research program in water resource management and community development.
He will address critical questions regarding the impacts of environmental stressors, such as chronic long-term droughts, water contamination and increased groundwater demand. Additionally, he will assist in water system consolidations and help communities meet regulatory goals such as those set by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).
Originally from Punjab, India, Sangha earned his undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering from Punjab Agricultural University. He received his M.S. in biosystems engineering from Auburn University in Alabama and his Ph.D. in biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech.
Sangha's early research focused on the influence of climate variability on ecologically sustainable water withdrawals from streams for irrigation. For his doctoral studies, he evaluated the impact of permit exemptions, climate change and demand growth on water supply. Additionally, he developed methods to quantify unreported water use for crop irrigation.
Sangha also has collaborated on projects in the Colorado River Basin, which explore why the Colorado River no longer reaches the sea. His work includes evaluating the effects of limited water availability on irrigation operations and developing adaptive options for farming communities in the basin.
Sangha is based in Bakersfield and can be reached at lsangha@ucanr.edu and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laljeet-sangha/.
Mobley joins UC Master Gardeners as evaluation coordinator 
Jocelyn Mobley joined the UC Master Gardener Program on April 23 as a full-time impact and evaluation coordinator. She succeeds Tamekia Wilkins, who had served as .30 FTE evaluation coordinator since 2018 and is now an impact and evaluation program director at the University of Alabama.
Prior to joining UC ANR, Mobley evaluated multiple programs at the Center for Land-Based Learning. She also has worked for other sustainable food nonprofits to help make a difference in her immediate community.
She earned her B.S. in health education from CSU Chico and Master's in Public Health from UC Davis.
Mobley is based at the ANR building in Davis and can be reached at jmmobley@ucanr.edu.
Atume joins SAREP as small farms technical assistance coordinator 
Ngodoo Atume joined UC ANR on April 17 as a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act small farms technical assistance coordinator in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
She will provide technical information, services, policy analysis and recommendations needed to engage and protect small-scale farmers in the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
Before joining UCANR,Atume worked as a water policy analyst advocating for the implementation of the Human Right to Water in California. She also worked on the inclusion of underrepresented stakeholders inSGMA, Central Valley Salinity Alternative Long-Term Sustainability (CV-SALTS)Program and the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP).
Born and raised in Nigeria, Atume earned her bachelor's degree in water resources and environmental engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, where her research focused on the treatment and reuse of wastewater. She has a master's degree in sustainable water management from Tufts University.
Atume is based in the UC ANR office in Davis and can be reached at natume@ucanr.edu.
